Turkey, Jan 22, (V7N) - At least 66 people were killed, and 51 others were injured when a fire broke out at a ski resort hotel in Turkey, according to local officials, as reported by Reuters.

The fire started at the Kartal Hotel in Bolu, Turkey. Emergency services were called around 3:27 a.m., said Turkey's Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, in a Facebook post. He provided ongoing updates on the situation as the death toll increased. About 267 emergency workers were dispatched to assist in the response.

Turkey's Minister of Justice, Yılmaz Tunç, also shared the tragic news on Facebook, confirming that the fire had claimed 66 lives, deeply affecting the community. According to Reuters, the fire began on the restaurant floor of the 12-story hotel.

Some hotel guests reportedly jumped out of windows to escape the flames. Baris Salgur, a guest at the hotel, told NTV that two women jumped from the top floor. Another guest shared with Ekol TV that his family woke up to realize the hotel was on fire but could not recall hearing any fire alarms. His family jumped from a lower floor onto the snow to escape.

Minister Yerlikaya reported that fire crews began fighting the fire around 45 minutes after receiving the call for help.

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